


What If's

by car_yl



Category: The Dresden Files - Jim Butcher
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Family Fluff, Gen, Romantic Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-27
Updated: 2020-09-27
Packaged: 2021-03-07 18:00:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,329
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26671789
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/car_yl/pseuds/car_yl
Summary: A series of what if scenes with Harry and Karrin
Relationships: Harry Dresden/Karrin Murphy
Comments: 2
Kudos: 21





	What If's

**Author's Note:**

> I am only borrowing the characters and universe created by Jim Butcher. He would never write such fluff. Also, an implication about Mab.

WHAT IF’S 

Murphy Finally Trains Harry for His Concealed Carry

“All right Harry, now you’re going to feel rushed when the adrenaline is pumping but pause, take a breath and line up your shot. Accuracy is more important than speed. It’s deadlier too.”

“Right Karrin,” and I took 2 shots, then 2 more, then 2 more. They all hit the target’s torso. “Why didn’t we find time to have you train me before this?”

“You always had something ‘better’ to do,” she scoffed.

“Not better,” I said as I reloaded my revolver, “just more pressing.”

“Sleeping with Luccio was ‘more pressing’?” she asked acidly.

“She was good for my soul, at the time, or so Bob said.” Then I mumbled. “And you weren’t available.”

She tartly replied, “Never listen to Bob about women,” but she was suppressing a smile when she said it.

“Yeah, yeah, hindsight is 20/20.”

_____________________________________________________

Murphy Finally Trains Harry in Martial Arts

“Whumf,” I exhaled loudly as I hit the mat. My sparring partner had just swept my feet out from under me. Again!

“Oh Harry,” Karrin sighed with a note of exasperation in her tone.

“You’re just pissed that you’re not the one handing out the bruises to my back and my ego,” I threw back at her, at little exasperated myself.

“Just wait,” she said with that adorable snort of hers, “soon I’ll have Maggie doing that to you if you don’t stop letting yourself be distracted.”

I sighed. She was right. Maggie is progressing far faster than I. Ah, she’s young and aikido is the only thing she’s got outside of school. I’ve got a little more on my plate. But, I sighed again, and got up to try once more to keep the Einherjar from knocking me off my feet. But I said, “Well, then you shouldn’t BE so distracting, Coach.”

Karrin shook her head and chuckled, with that wicked grin which always promises good things to come. I just hope I’m not too bruised to fully enjoy those things.

_____________________________________________________

Murphy Needs to Tell Harry Something Big

It’s Sunday. Dinner with Murphy’s mom was great as usual. Maggie and I have finished the dishes. Karrin is upstairs talking with her mom. A rare day of downtime, I’d been thinking. No problems in sight. Sigh!

“Harry, can you come up here for a minute?” Marion called from her bedroom.

“Back in a minute, punkin,” I said, patting Maggie’s head. “On my way,” I called as I ascended the stairs two at a time. Just because I could and it made Maggie giggle.

When I got there Karrin was sitting on the bed with a stunned look on her face. Marion, Mother Murphy was sitting next to her smiling softly and holding her hand. She got up as I came in. 

“What’s up?” I asked.

“Harry, I think you’d better sit beside Karrie.”

“O-kay,” I stretched the word a bit while I complied.

“Harry,” Karrin said while holding out a plastic stick-like thing to me, her voice sounded shocked. She looked a little pale. 

“What’s this?” I look down at the stick, it has a plus sign in a little windowed area. I realized what it was. I lifted my eyes to Karrin. I think my jaw was hitting my lap. She gave a tiny little nod. I looked at Marion. She was grinning widely. She gave me a nod too.

“Sooooo,” I said dragging the word out to at least 5 syllables. “Pregnant.”

Karrin nodded wordlessly, twice this time. 

“Um, Murph,” I asked quietly, “why are we doing this here, at your mom’s?”

“I thought it was the beginning of menopause,” she said her eyes on the stick. “I thought mom could give me advice, but she insisted I should do a test first. I laughed,” she said looking up at me with eyes the size of saucers. “I thought, ‘What could it hurt?’ So, I brought one with me.” She paused for a heartbeat. “Harry, we can’t be parents,” she almost whined.

“Karrin Murphy,” I answered wrapping my right arm around her shoulder and placing my left hand on her stomach, my thumb falling between her breasts and my pinky brushing her thigh, “we already Are parents.”

“I know, Maggie …”

“Not Maggie,” I said. I almost said more but some part of my brain was still functioning and I remembered that Marion was standing just a foot or two away. I gave Karrin a kiss on her temple that I hoped was calming and reassuring. I rose to give Marion a hug, pulled back and took her by the shoulders.

“Mother Murphy,” I said, in what I hoped was a conspiratorial tone, “Please don’t say anything to anyone else until we’ve seen the doctor?”

She paused trying to look me in the eye. I avoided it. Whatever she saw in my face in that instant must have been persuasive though, because she nodded.

“Now, if you don’t mind, -and I know I’m kicking you out of your own room- but I think Karrin and I need a few moments alone.” I gently pressed on Marion’s shoulders turning her towards the door. Then I dropped a hand to her lower back and with just a hint of a push walked her over to that door and shut it behind her.

I returned to the bed to sit next to Karrin. I took her hand.

“You’d better get to your OB sooner rather than later, Murph. High risk and all. Besides, if I can sense him … Well, ..”

“Him?!”

“Uh yea, I can sense him, and if I can sense anything…”

“Then why didn’t you see this coming? Why didn’t you tell me?!” there was a vehemence behind the query. “I haven’t had a period in 3 months, Harry!”

“Be fair.” I said, “I did tell you something felt different. I just didn’t Look.” That’s when I put my head between my knees and took a couple of deep breaths to alleviate the dizziness that had been threatening since I first saw the plus sign.

“Are you okay with this? You sounded so calm a second ago.” A hint of a waver could be heard.

I left my head where it was but turned my face toward her, and held out my left hand which was trembling. “I’m terrified.” I told her.

She took my shaky hand, “Um, not what I really wanted to hear from you right now, Harry.” just a hint of tartness behind the quavering tone.

I sat up, “Still birth, premature birth, pre-eclampsia, miscarriage, and all the other dire possibilities… I don’t want to lose you.” I said and took another deep breath, a very deep breath.

“Who have you been talking to about the hazards of pregnancy and childbirth, Harry? And Why?!” Karrin asked, crossing her arms across her chest much less shock on her face and no waver, now, in her voice.

I let myself fall backwards onto the bed. I looked up to the ceiling and sighed, “Lisa. I thought she was doing it just to torture me after that last verbal sparring match.” I lifted up onto my elbows so that I might see her face. “Do you think she knows something?”

Karrin flopped backwards. Now she was the one staring at the ceiling. I fell back again, joining her. We stared upwards in silence for a moment or two. Then I reached out and took her hand, lacing them together. I raised her hand to my mouth and kissed her fingers, still looking straight up.

“So,” she sighed, “a boy.”

“Yep,” I sighed too.

“Got any names in mind, Harry?” She knows me too well. I could hear the teasing tone.

“Yep,” I said, the beginnings of a grin playing at the corners of my mouth.

“Of course you do,” she laughed a trembley little laugh. “Come on, out with it.” She rolled over onto her side angling her face up enough to see my face. Still grasping my hand.

“How does Colin Malcolm Murphy Dresden sound to you?” I tendered the question in as soft a voice as I could manage without whispering as I tilted and turned just my head towards her.

Karrin’s eyes got suspiciously shiny. She rolled further. So that her face was buried in my shoulder. “Sounds perfect,” her voice muffled against the cloth which was, now, ever so slightly damp.  
_____________________________________________________

HARRY AND KARRIN HAVE OTHER BIG NEWS

What are they wearing? Harry, in a silver gray suit and with a tie?! Maggie in a fluffy little powder blue dress with flowers in her hair. Karrin in a matching blue dress made of several layers of what looks like georgette or maybe chiffon? And Harry is carrying Karrie? Is he ever going to let her walk on her own two feet again?! And why are they all grinning like inane fools?

“A little overdressed for a family dinner aren’t you?” I asked tartly.

“Well you see Lisa, we just came from a wedding,” Harry said placing Karrin in the only remaining available chair. “Maggie was the flower girl.”

“Oh, whose wedding?” My mother asked smiling.

Karrin and Harry looked at each other, still grinning like fools, “Ours,” they said in synch. Maggie giggled grabbing Karrin around the neck and hugging her fiercely. And the room erupted into a babble of voices asking, “What?! When?! How?!” And my mother - my mother just breathed, “At last.” and positively beamed at them.  
___________________________________________________________________________

HARRY WANTED TO TELL HIS FRIENDS THE BIG NEWS

In the mailbox of each of Harry’s friends there arrived an embossed envelope containing a card of white rag stock linen written in elegant calligraphy which read:

Her Majesty, the Queen of Air and Darkness,  
Announces the Marriage of Her Knight,  
Harry Dresden  
on Sunday last  
by Her Gracious Permission,  
to the mortal woman of his choice,  
formerly of the CPD,  
Karrin Murphy

The signature was a raised snowflake.

_______________________________________________________________________

HARRY AND MURPHY MAKE AN ANNOUNCEMENT TO SI

We were laughing and smiling like lunatics as we left city hall with that particular piece of paper. SI's offices were right across the street. Karrin and I exchanged a look. I swear my smile stretched wider. I sent a wordless question her way with a lift of an eyebrow and a tilt of my head and she nodded with a little giggle, the kind she makes when she's really tickled. We grabbed each other's hand and made our way over to the squat, square building.

The desk sergeant recognized us. "Why are you here?" She asked, a wry smile on her face. "Not in trouble are you, Harry?"

"Depends on what you mean by trouble," I quipped and Karrin elbowed me in the side below the ribs. She can't reach my ribs with her elbow when we're standing side by side.

"You're going to be in trouble mister, if you keep that up." She shot me a sly look.

"Ooo, shaking in my shoes," I waggled my eyebrows at her.

"You two seem in a good mood today," the sarge smiled at us. "I'll call upstairs and see if it's 'safe' for visitors."

"Safe?" Karrin queried.

"No IA snoops hanging around." The sarge said.

"IA? I thought that now that I was gone..." Karrin let her sentence trail off.

"I knew that's why you took early retirement," the sarge said with a note of triumph.

"One of the reasons," Karrin acknowledged, "Why?"

"I won that particular pool." The sarge answered with a bright smile. Karrin laughed a little. "Retirement looks good on you, Murphy."

"Not everyday, but today's a good day," she said sending me a sideways glance and a secretive smile.

"Rawlins says, 'Come on up'," the desk sergeant announced.

"Great!" I said. I grinned like a fool and took my life in my hands. I threw Karrin around my back so she was riding piggy back and started up the stairs two at a time. She was slapping me around the head and shoulders, lightly, laughing and telling me to put her down. I just ducked my head, shook it and, laughing too, carried her up to SI. Just outside the door I swung her around and carried her over the threshold to her old stomping grounds bridal style.

"Hey," I hollered out to the room in general, "who's holding the pool on a wedding date?"

Rawlins stepped out of his office, jaw down around his knees. There was a general murmuring and exclamations were made. "When?" Someone finally shouted out.

Karrin held up the newly acquired license. I still had her in my arms. "Tomorrow," she answered the hue and cry. "We're eloping." 

"Hot damn," said Rawlins, "I got elopement." A number of voices groaned, a few congratulated him, several voiced other sentiments. The questions when and where were lobbed at us.

"Put me down, Dresden," she whispered into my ear. I sighed heavily and placed her on her feet. She held me bent over by virtue of not removing her arms from around me neck. "None of you are invited." She announced to the room to a chorus of groans, "So we're giving you this instead." She took my face in her two hands and kissed me, in public! in SI! for the first time ever. I slipped my arms around her waist and kissed her back until the jeers and catcalls began to fade.

Then I slipped one arm under her knees and picked her up again causing her to slide one arm back around my neck. We broke the kiss then, "See ya," I cried and carried Karrin back down the steps. Rawlins followed us down to the next landing. He grabbed my elbow, "I expect to be a witness." He stated firmly.

"I'll call you," Karrin called over my shoulder, as I stepped away from Rawlins and continued down the stairs and out of the building, smiling fit to spit my face.

**Author's Note:**

> I'll write some reactions after I see who survives Battle Ground and if Murphy doesn't- Well DARN!
> 
> I guess now that Murphy is gone these should be called "if only"s or things Harry wishes had happened.


End file.
